************************************************************************************* Minnesota Rotarians pledge US$1 million to PEFC The world is exactly US$1,027,043 closer to eradicating polio worldwide thanks to Rotarians in District 5950 (Minnesota, USA). That's $27,043 more than the district's initial - and ambitious - $1 million goal for the polio eradication fundraising campaign (PEFC). "Last spring, when we announced our district goal of $1 million, we knew it was ambitious," says Past District Governor Holly Callen, district PEFC chairwoman. "But we also knew in our hearts, we could do it." Callen and District Governor Paul Bierhaus believe there are several reasons for the district's success, not least of which was commitment by Rotarians from the outset to making the $1 million goal a priority. From presenting it at the district assembly last year to including mention of it in every luncheon, meeting, newsletter, and email, the district PEFC goal was everywhere, all the time. The result was 100 percent participation of all 57 clubs. Another effective approach, according to Callen and Bierhaus, was to break down the imposing figure into smaller more attainable goals. Each club was asked to pledge or raise $300 per member. With almost 3,200 club members, excluding potential major donors, that amounted to approximately $960,000. But there were major donors, including the three main district campaign leaders: Bierhaus, Callen and Past District Governor Tom Thorfinnson, a national Permanent Fund adviser for The Rotary Foundation. Using a smorgasbord approach, clubs were offered a variety of fun and easy options for raising money. One innovative idea included sponsoring club members who were trying to lose a few extra pounds, which may have conflicted somewhat with the efforts of two other clubs that raised $2,000 each selling Krispy Kreme doughnuts. In addition to raising funds in the community, the Minnesota Rotarians also made personal contributions. For example, the Chaska Rotary club obtained pledges averaging $750 each from all of its members for a total of more than $56,000. District 5950 becomes only the second district with documented club commitments of over $1 million. District 6440 (Illinois, USA) was the first, but other districts have made verbal pledges to raise this amount. "This campaign has been the most personally rewarding thing that I have ever done in Rotary and that includes my year as district governor," Callen says. "It's not often you can do something and know that you are truly helping to make the world a better place. "Thanks to Rotary for giving us this privilege."

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More than 20 million targeted in National Immunization Days Bangladesh Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia launched the first round of the 11th National Immunization Days (NIDs) on 29 March by administering drops of the oral polio vaccine and Vitamin A supplement to some children at Shishu Hospital in the nation's capital, Dhaka. Twenty million children were targeted in the effort, which began in earnest the following day and continued until 3 April. Some 2,500 local and visiting Rotarians, spouses, and Rotaractors were among 600,000 volunteers and health workers who participated at various stages of the NIDs, from preparation and publicity, to making sure that vaccine was delivered and children taken to the 120,000 immunization centers throughout the country. Club-sponsored pre-NID activities included seminars, rallies, TV and radio talk shows, performance of folk songs, and distribution of audio cassettes, posters, stickers, calendars, T-shirts, and arm bands, all aimed at enhancing public awareness and participation. In addition, the Bangladesh National PolioPlus Committee (NPPC) published a special supplement in News Today, a local newspaper, on 30 March, explaining why NIDs must continue. No new case of polio has been detected in Bangladesh since 2000 when a polio-infected girl named Dolly Mirpur was found near Dhaka. However, the health ministry and the Global Polio Eradication Partners are concerned that with neighboring Indian states such as Bihar and West Bengal reporting a surge in new cases last year, there is a danger of polio being imported from across the border. Hence, immunization activities and surveillance will continue until the entire south Asian region is polio-free. "In Bangladesh, Rotary has played a key role in creating awareness through social mobilization," says NPPC Chairman Iftekharul Alam. "Rotary has awakened the spirit of volunteerism in the people of Bangladesh." The Rotary Foundation has contributed more than US$15 million towards polio eradication in Bangladesh. A second round of NIDs will start on 4 May. ************************************************************************************* Rotary's partners-in-service programs keep on growing In the third quarter of the Rotary year, Rotaract, Interact, and Rotary Community Corps (RCC) continued their steady growth and expansion into more and more countries. With almost a half million participants among them, Rotary's three partners-in-service programs are extending Rotary ideals and laying the foundations for future Rotary membership in virtually every corner of the world. The number of Rotaract clubs sponsored by Rotary clubs grew by 96 in the past three months to a global total of 7,534, with an estimated membership of 173,282. Present in 155 countries, Rotaract is the most widespread of the three programs. As with all three partners-in-service programs, Rotaract's strongest growth in recent years has been in Asia. India alone has 2,003 Rotaract clubs. But as evidence of the universal appeal of this program for young adults, Argentina, Brazil, England, Italy, Japan, Nigeria, the Philippines, and the USA all boast 200 to 700 clubs each. The number of Interact clubs climbed by 209 to 8,973 worldwide, with an estimated membership of 206,379 in 113 countries, making it the largest of the three Rotary programs in terms of clubs and participants. Lesotho and Mauritania are the latest countries where Rotary clubs have launched Interact clubs. And, indicating how one service program spawns another, their sponsoring Rotary clubs - Maloti-Maseru, Lesotho, and Nouakchott Sahel, Mauritania - each also sponsors one or more Rotaract clubs. Rotary Community Corps added 139 groups, raising their number to 5,110, with an estimated membership of 117,530 in 72 countries - Australia, Paraguay, and Russia being the latest. In Russia, the Rotary clubs of Barnaul, Novosibirsk, and Vladvistock are sponsoring RCCs in the small communities of Aya, Spirino, and Popov Island respectively. Arvind Phukan, governor of District 5010, which spans Eastern Russia as well as Alaska and Canada's Yukon Territory, says that economic conditions discourage the organizing of Rotary clubs in those small towns but make them prime candidates for self-help RCCs. ************************************************************************************* Louisiana Rotarians breathe new life into children's center When the Hollins Meaux Educational and Recreational Center opened in Kaplan, a small town in Louisiana, USA, in 1995, residents were happy that there was a place for after-school activities for latchkey children. The center lived up to expectation, serving as a venue for tutoring, spiritual guidance, and mentoring for the community's underprivileged kids. However, in 2000, Elzora White, educator and founder of the center, died suddenly. As a result, the center shut down, the building in which it was housed deteriorated, and the children lost a place to go to, apart from hanging out on street corners. In August 2000, when the Rotary Club of Kaplan was looking for a community project to sponsor, Rotarian Jagdish Gupta, whose family had donated generously toward the center before the death of its founder, suggested that re-opening it was a worthy effort. Because all members of the club knew how much the center contributed to civic life in the town, they quickly rose to the challenge. Under Gupta's leadership, Rotarians mobilized the community in raising US$7,000 to complete the project. Some residents volunteered their time, furniture, and building materials to rehabilitate the center. On March 1, more than 100 Rotarians and guests attended a re-opening gala, replete with zydeco and gospel music, Mardi Gras decorations, and tasty southern cooking. District 6200 Governor Frank Bradshaw was guest of honor at the colorful ceremony. "It was an exhilarating experience for me and fellow Rotarians," says Gupta. "People from different races and ages worked together to achieve the same goal. This project was a real tribute to Rotary ideals. I hope it will encourage other Rotary clubs in small towns to help underprivileged children." *************************************************************************************

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